Margaritaville Island Rum Cake

Margaritaville Island Rum Cake

“Nibblin’ on sponge cake, watchin’ the sun bake…”

Warning: This is an Adults-Only Cake. It’s basically a sponge cake infused with rum. Lots of rum. Adapted from Margaritaville The Cookbook, Relaxed Recipes for a Taste of Paradise by Carlo Sernaglia and Julia Turshen published by Margaritaville Enterprises LLC 2018.

This Island Rum Cake joins my recipes for the iconic Cheeseburger in Paradise and Jimmy’s Favorite Seafood Gumbo as tributes to Jimmy Buffett.

Depending on the time of day, this cake is equally great with a cup of coffee, a Mai Tai, or even a shot of rum!

Margaritaville Island Rum Cake Recipe

Cake Ingredients

• 2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/4 c. cornstarch
• 2 t. baking powder
• 1 t. sea salt
• 8 T. butter – one stick, softened
• 1 c. granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3/4 c. whole milk
• 1/4 c. avocado oil
• 1 T. vanilla extract
• 1 c. rum (we like Captain Morgan)

Rum Syrup Ingredients

• 3 T. butter
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 3/4 c. rum
• 1/8 t. sea salt

Method

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Mix dry ingredients (flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt) in a medium bowl.

In a large bowl, cream sugar into butter with a hand mixer until it is pale and fluffy, for about three minutes.

Then add eggs, milk, oil, vanilla, and rum and beat until combined.

Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula.

Prepare Bundt pan by generously spraying with baking spray.

Transfer batter to the Bundt pan.

Bake until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes. Place cake pan on a wire rack.

Rum Syrup

Melt butter in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat. Add brown sugar, rum, and salt. Stir to gently dissolve the sugar and salt, do not boil.

While the cake is still warm, poke several holes (at least 36) into the cake with a chopstick. Slowly pour the rum syrup over the surface to seep into the cake.

Let cake cool completely. For best results let it sit at room temperature overnight.

To Serve

• powdered sugar
• whipped cream

Run a thin offset spatula around the edges to loosen the cake. Invert it onto a serving platter. Dust with powdered sugar.

Slice cake and serve each slice with a generous dollop of whipped cream.

Note

This recipe was adapted from Margaritaville The Cookbook. The cake batter recipe is similar to the one in the book with a few adjustments, the rum syrup recipe is my own.

Parrots and umbrellas optional.

Merci pour la magie, cher Monsieur Buffett.